AGAINST THE GRAIN: FIVE SCULPTORS IN WOOD

Location: South African National Gallery

From:
August 14, 2013
To:
November 17, 2013

Thami Kiti, Cat (detail) (1990s) Red oak, (Private Collection)

Against the Grain profiles the work of five wood sculptors from the Western Cape. Working for many years in often difficult conditions with little support, the artists Isaac Makeleni, Ishmael Thyssen, Shepherd Mbanya, Timothy Mafenuka, and Thami Kiti have all produced imaginative and skilful works of art. While showcasing their work, Against the Grain also questions their present exclusion from the South African artistic canon as well as the lack of appreciation of the work of black African wood sculptors in present discourses about contemporary African art.